It feels like Out of the Furnace has been waiting for just the right time to show itself, and the only real time it could be in the fall.  It's a gritty crime drama with awards potential.  The first images have been released, and director Scott Cooper tells USA today that while the film is a crime drama, it's also about the plight of the working class. "This is the story of this man who works in a blast furnace," says Cooper, "but with themes of justice, retribution and courage."  Cooper also says that the Pearl Jam song "Release" was an inspiration when working on the script, and so he showed the film to Eddie Vedder, who decided to collaborate on the soundtrack.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Sam Shepard, Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe, and Forest Whitaker.  Out of the Furnace opens in limited release on November 27th.

Via USA Today.

USA Today also gives a different logline than what we've been hearing.  Previously, we reported that the film stars Christian Bale as a former criminal who is released after serving four years in prison only to find that his younger brother (Casey Affleck), has been brutally murdered. Russell then sets out to avenge his brother's death and track down the killer.  But USA Today says that Baze is a steelworker who "confronts a local criminal (Woody Harrelson) while searching for his missing brother, an Iraq War veteran." The two aren't exclusive (Bale could be a convict-turned-steelworker, Affleck's character could end up dead), but it definitely grounds it more in the working-class milieu Cooper seems to be going for.

And here's the song "Release" for those who want to listen to it: